The moment you’ve been eagerly waiting for has finally arrived – when you can hold, touch, and see the little life that has been growing inside you for nine months. There’s nothing quite like holding your precious bundle of joy for the first time in your arms, feeling their soft touch, and hearing their first cry.
As you welcome your baby into the world and take them home, you have mixed feelings of excitement, joy, and apprehension. The first few weeks feel like an emotional rollercoaster filled with uncertainties, from sleepless nights to frequent feeding and clueless baby cries. Nevertheless, you go all-out to create a safe environment for your newborn and care for their health and nourishment.
Whether you’re a first-time parent or welcoming another child, it’s natural to give the best care to your newborn and prioritize their health above everything else. To help you with your parenting journey, here’s a list of ways in which you can take care of your newborn and ensure they receive the best possible start in life:
Keep an Eye on Early Red Flags
When your baby is born, a qualified pediatrician or healthcare expert will conduct a thorough medical examination and check your baby’s overall health and weight to identify potential health concerns early on.
Crying right after birth is an indicator of healthy lungs. However, if your baby keeps crying or doesn’t cry at all, it’s a warning sign indicating some serious underlying health condition or a possible birth injury. If you suspect a childbirth injury due to medical malpractice, you must immediately consult a pediatrician and contact Birth Injury Justice Center for legal help.
Childbirth injuries can cause serious and lifelong health issues, including cerebral palsy, Erb’s palsy, brain damage, spinal cord injuries, and other injuries resulting from vacuum extraction complications. Birth Injury Justice Center will provide comprehensive information on childbirth injuries, their possible causes, and legal options against all medical malpractices resulting from childbirth injuries. They will also help you find the best lawyer to file a claim against medical negligence and errors during delivery.
Handle Your Baby Properly
If you’re a first-time parent or haven’t had much experience with newborns previously, you may find it challenging to handle a newborn. Handling newborns requires extreme care as they have delicate and developing bones, a semi-formed skull, and, most importantly, a weak immunity system.
Keep Your Hands Clean At All Times
First things first, before you touch or even come closer to your baby, you must ensure you wash your hands thoroughly or sanitize your hands properly. Babies are prone to infections and diseases since they’ve not developed a strong immune system to fight against foreign bodies. If you don’t wash your hands properly, you may infect them with certain viruses that can pose a threat to their overall health. You must also ensure your nails have been clipped or clear from contaminants.
Support Both Their Head and Neck
A newborn has a delicate head, neck, and backbone. Their spine cannot support their head and neck until they’re at least three months old. When carrying an infant, secure and support their head and neck with your hands and arms for their safety and comfort. Never try to hold them upright without a head and neck support, as it can damage their neck and spine.
Secure Your Baby Properly
Before you welcome your baby, make sure your car seat is properly fixed and get it checked by a certified child passenger safety expert. Secure your baby properly in a stroller and carrier, and avoid taking sharp turns, overspeeding, or moving through a rough or bumpy track.
Never Shake Your Baby
As mentioned earlier, your newborn has a delicate head, neck, and spine. Shaking a baby can have life-threatening repercussions, as it can severely damage the neck, brain, and spine and cause internal bleeding, leading to instant demise. Be gentle when playing with your baby or waking them up.
Nursing Your Newborn
While you can choose between breastfeeding and formula milk, all pediatricians and healthcare experts recommend breastfeeding your child until age two. Breastfeeding has immense benefits both for you and your child. While it provides your child the exact proportion of required nutrition according to their age, it also strengthens their immune system and improves their gut health. However, breastfeeding comes with challenges, with the first few weeks being the toughest. From struggling to get your baby to latch on to dealing with sore or cracked nipples, inconsistent flow, and frequent leaks, you may encounter a range of issues in breastfeeding. Here’re some nursing tips to follow to make breastfeeding easier for you and your child:
- Take help from the nurse to feed your baby as soon as your baby is born.
- Get complete guidance on breastfeeding from your pediatrician or lactation consultant.
- Clean your nipples thoroughly before each feed to ensure your child remains healthy.
- Nurse your baby from both sides each time.
- Use a manual or electric breast pump to prepare bottles in advance and keep them refrigerated until their use.
- Rinse your sore or cracked nipples with warm salt water or use a cold compress to alleviate the pain. If one of your nipples is cracked or sore, try nursing your baby from the other side. Use a proper latch to prevent your nipples from getting sore or cracked.
- Nurse your baby whenever they demand. It will help your body adjust the milk supply according to your baby’s nutritional requirements. The body starts producing milk whenever your baby latches on, so you don’t have to worry about the milk supply even if you feel there isn’t enough for the baby.
- Drink plenty of fluids and eat appropriately during the first few weeks of childbirth.
Comforting Your Crying Baby
Babies have only one way of communicating – crying! Crying could mean your baby is hungry, uncomfortable, wet, or has pain or fever. Look for possible reasons and symptoms and check your baby’s temperature.
Frequent crying can cause loads of stress and frustration for parents and caregivers. Many new parents fail to figure out the real cause behind long hours of crying and experiment with different things to soothe their babies. If your child has none of the above issues, here’re some ways to soothe your baby:
- Always burp your baby or hold them upright after each feed.
- Use a pacifier to soothe your crying baby.
- Give your baby a gentle massage or a warm bath.
- Use a swaddle or wrap your baby properly.
- Never skip tummy time.
- Rock your baby, swing them, or walk around while holding them.
Final Thoughts
Becoming a parent changes your life forever. As you navigate the challenges of parenthood, it’s easy to overlook the simple joy of cuddling your little miracle and developing an intimate bond with your child. Your child will grow up fast, and these tender moments will pass in the blink of an eye. So treasure each moment you spend with your little one, and don’t let the stress of parenthood overshadow those precious first few years of your child’s life.
